The Surprising French Roots of Karate’s Most Famous Kicks: How Savate Shaped Modern Martial Arts

Have you ever wondered why there is not a single traditional kata featuring the mawashi-geri, or roundhouse kick? In modern martial arts circles, it stands as perhaps the most popular and devastating strike utilized in Karate tournaments across the globe. Yet, despite its current ubiquity in competition and pop culture, this dynamic maneuver was never taught in Okinawa, the historic birthplace of Karate.

A careful examination of historical texts reveals a striking absence of high, flashy kicks. Publications authored by the pioneering masters who introduced the art to mainland Japan—such as Funakoshi Gichin, the founder of Shotokan; Motobu Choki, renowned for his practical combat effectiveness; and Mabuni Kenwa, the founder of Shito-ryu—contain no references to such techniques. Instead, old-school Karate kicks were predominantly linear, low-line maneuvers. Designed primarily for pragmatic self-defense rather than athletic spectacle, these traditional strikes targeted the shins, knees, and groin, perfectly aligning with the closed-door, combat-oriented nature of early Okinawan training.

Despite these traditional roots, modern Karate is practically synonymous with a vast array of spectacular, high-flying kicks that dominate international arenas. This dramatic evolution naturally raises a compelling question: how did an art form characterized by grounded, economical movements become famous for soaring acrobatic strikes?

For decades, martial arts historians and practitioners have debated the origins of these modern techniques. Some analysts have theorized that the influence came from Chinese martial arts, pointing to the deep historical ties between Okinawa and mainland China. However, this theory falls short upon closer inspection, as the southern Chinese martial arts styles that heavily influenced the development of early Okinawan Karate utilize kicking philosophies and repertoires very similar to traditional Karate, favoring low, stable strikes over high rotational kicks.

Another common assumption is that these techniques were adopted from Taekwondo during the post-World War II modernization of Asian martial arts. In reality, historical timelines suggest the opposite dynamic at play—influences actually moved from Japanese systems into Korean martial arts during the formative years of the twentieth century, rather than the other way around.

The historical truth behind Karate’s modern kicking repertoire points toward a much more surprising geographic source: Western Europe. The flashy, dynamic kicks that came to define modern Karate were actually copied from a French combat sport that was introduced to mainland Japan long before the famed Okinawan masters ever arrived to teach their traditional arts to the public.

That martial art is known as Savate, a distinctive French style of kickboxing that emphasizes intricate and powerful kicking techniques executed at various heights. Long before Okinawan Karate was formally demonstrated in Tokyo during the early decades of the twentieth century, French sailors, military instructors, and travelers had documented and occasionally demonstrated Savate in various international ports, including parts of East Asia.

As Japanese martial arts underwent rapid modernization, systematization, and integration into the national educational curriculum, instructors sought to broaden their physical education appeal and competitive viability. Through cultural exchange and cross-training in the bustling urban centers of mainland Japan, elements of French foot-fighting systems—particularly the mechanics of the roundhouse and high-line kicks—found their way into the training regimens of progressive Japanese instructors. One influential Japanese sensei integrated these dynamic Western European techniques into the curriculum, effectively revolutionizing the physical expression of Karate and laying the groundwork for the sport-fighting landscape recognized by practitioners and fans today.